Have you noticed that everything in fashion has to have a name these days? Bows can’t just be bows, they have to be coquette. Pink can’t be just a color, it has to be Barbiecore. And even something as quintessential as a pair of jeans, a white t-shirt, and a leather jacket can’t be just an easy look, it has to be off-duty.
Back in the ’90s, argued designer Calvin Luo at an appointment in one of his Shanghai stores, when supermodels like Cindy Crawford or Linda Evangelista and actors including Julia Roberts and Gwyneth Paltrow “stepped out” in between shoots or turns on the runway, their personal style had, well, style. In today’s terms, the designer explained, “it’s hard to tell if their clothes were styled or just randomly put together, because they just so good.” That casual, minimally chic vibe of the ’90s has been mythologized online ad-nauseum, via paparazzi snapshots of Crawford, Evangelista, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, and the like. It’s gotten to the point that the look not only has a name but is also merchandised in stores, and now celebrities and non-famous folk alike try to replicate it. If it wasn’t styled then, it certainly is now.
This aesthetic became the backdrop for Luo’s fall 2024 lineup. What drew him to it, he said, is its simplicity, and how essential it feels even 30 years later. His interest coincides with what has been an overarchingly conservative season. That Luo dedicated his latest collection to crafting really great basics—a little black dress, gray cardigans, tank tops, and some jeans—is no mistake. “This is how people dress now, and this is what they’re buying,” the designer said.
But Luo still found a way of imbuing his singular touch. “Pre-styled” is the best word to describe the designer’s riffs on timeless classics: Layered tank tops and cardigans were knitted as 2-in-1s, and his cool baggy jeans with criss-cross flies came with built-in belts. For a bit of anti-quiet luxury eccentricity, he added extra buttons to pieces and took the frame and clasp off an evening clutch and used it to frame pockets on jackets and blazers.
Luo has been spending some time off the runway as he’s prioritized opening stores in China. His clothes certainly look good on hangers, but it would be interesting to see him take on the challenge of showing them in motion again. So much in fashion these days feels overworked, but Luo has a way of balancing his meticulous eye with a sense of ease. Part pre-styled and part sartorial serendipity—if you need a name for it, call it the Calvin Luo look.
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